Restaurant Reviews
Reinventing a Favorite: A Toute Heure in Cranford
February 15, 2018
The new owners of A Toute Heure in Cranford changed the menu, the chef, almost everything but the name. The other thing they didn’t change was the high quality of the food and service.
Little Place, Big Flavors: Park Place in Merchantville
February 7, 2018
Philip Manganaro didn’t plan on his modest, 32-seat byo becoming a sensation. But runaway success is a good problem to have.
New Ways With Mediterranean: Zeugma Grill in Montclair
February 1, 2018
At Zeugma Grill in Montclair, chef Can (pronounced John) Alp, 28, scores with his unique Avoganoush, a literal mashup of avocado and baba ghanoush.
The Claremont Tavern in Bernardsville has beer, flatscreens and pub faves, but also 14 small salads and starters like wasabi spring rolls.
Coal burns very hot, so it takes an attentive pizzamaker to tend a pie in a coal-burning oven. Bricco Coal Fired Pizza in Westmont does the job well.
At Horseneck Tavern in North Caldwell, classy meets casual, and specialties range from pillowy pierogi to baby back ribs and roast Amish chicken.
Asbury Park’s Mediterranean Hot Spot, Reyla
January 11, 2018
The folks who created Barrio Costero, a modern take on Mexican food, have taken the same approach with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern in their new restaurant, Reyla.
Chef Dominic Piperno made sure to install a large wood-burning grill and oven when he opened Hearthside in Collingswood in September. He is making good use of the grill—and also turning out some deft pastas.
Semi-Southern Comfort: Mathews in Jersey City
January 4, 2018
Visits to Charleston, South Carolina, inspired this neighborhood fave, which feels gracious and homelike, yet hip.
The Ironbound section of Newark is known for its Portuguese and Brazilian restaurants, but there's something different there—barbecue at City Rub Smokehouse.
Fast-casual spot with serious surf vibe serving an array of different proteins.
Tim McLoone’s Rebuilt Rum Runner in Sea Bright
December 14, 2017
After Hurricane Sandy, the restaurateur needed four years to rebuild his Sea Bright restaurant, elevating it a cautionary 14 feet above ground level. Has McLoone elevated the food and service as well as the structure?
Steak, Confident and Old School: Edward’s Steakhouse
December 7, 2017
Edward’s Steakhouse was shuttered by Sandy’s storm surge, but the restaurant has come back strong, from its dry-aged steaks to its house-made icebox cake.
Inspired by his mom’s home cooking, Iron Chef and The Chew co-host Michael Symon brings Italian gusto to the Borgata.
At Loteria, a modern Mexican restaurant in Asbury Park, Corona beer bottles are repurposed as salt and pepper shakers. But the tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas and other items are flavorful to begin with.
At the Square Meal, a cozy café in Oaklyn, sandwiches are the specialty—there are seven signature kinds.
P.F. Market in West Caldwell is both a seafood market and a seafood restaurant. The food is fresh, from lobster bisque to the flounder Po’ Boy.
Marie Nicole’s was an institution in Wildwood Crest, where for 16 years it set the standard for fine dining. Last June it relocated to nearby Avalon.
This Rooster Struts as it Crows: Roosterspin in New Brunswick
November 2, 2017
Crispy-spicy Korean fried chicken is just one of the attractions of the new branch of Roosterspin, in New Brunswick. The other is its liquor license, featuring cocktails that are worth a detour on their own.
Scrupulous about freshness and favoring wild-caught over farmed, the owners have made their restaurant a seafood magnet.